This giveaway is for all you mamas of littles and mamas to be out there! I’m excited to have teamed up with The Handpicked Home to spoil one lucky winner with a nursery prize package worth more than $300! Most of the items included in this giveaway are available in shop, so if you see a brand or product you love, find them online and pop by the shop to check them out in person. View Post

This post is all about the amazing men we have in our lives: the husbands, dads, brothers, uncles, friends; whoever they are, this post is for them. It’s been a little while since there has been something for the guys here on OHP so I thought it would be a good time to have a giveaway. I’m excited to be working with JORD watches again this Fall and will be spoiling a lucky reader with a $100 gift credit towards one of their amazing wood watches! View Post

Two words: craft beer. It puts a big smile on my face when I hear those two words together and I had the chance to co- host an event inspired by my favourite hoppy drink, the #HopsShopRepeat pop up, on the long weekend at The Handpicked Home in White Rock. This event combined craft beer and shopping plus a giveaway from everyone involved- cheers to a fun evening! One of the best things that has come from this blogging journey is the people I’ve met and businesses I’ve had the chance to work with and this is made even better when the opportunity comes along to bring a few of them together for an event like this.

Together with Trading Post Brewing, CPC Woodcraft, and Shop Ava to Zoe, we had an evening full of craft beer- inspired fun and it was the first event that I brought The Surrey Girl Project to (Piya will be carrying the Surrey neighbourhood tees from Locomotive Clothing in shop soon!). Our hope for the event was to encourage visitors to meet the makers behind one of the local brands Piya carries in THH, get introduced to a local craft beer brewery, and have everyone have a good time while shopping local. I think we succeeded and it was a great evening full of friends and fun.

Piya (the owner of THH) and I have been good friends since she opened her shop about two years ago (happy shopiversary friend!!) and we’ve teamed up on a bunch of things, but this was the first pop up like this we’d organized. We’d been scheming for a month or two about how everything would come together and as soon as we knew Candice and Carlos from CPC Woodcraft were able to make it on the 6th we saved the date. Thanks to Piya and a few of the brands carried in shop and Trading Post Brewing, we had a craft- beer themed giveaway that shoppers could enter; shopping + craft beer and a giveaway? I think we got in some good stuff there. 😉

We held this 2- hour pop- up on the Sunday of the long weekend and had fun handing out samples of 1827 Helles Lager and Rye Amber Ale with Kristin from Trading Post and introducing shoppers to the makers behind CPC Woodcraft (have you seen their handcrafted beer caddies and openers?? Even if you’re not a beer drinker their handmade pieces are great for wine and other bevvies). We’re already chatting about another pop up event and can’t wait. If you missed this pop up, you can see some of the highlights from the event below and if you made it out we hope you had as much fun as we did. Cheers to good times with good friends!

Thank you to everyone who helped bring this pop up together, took part, and came out for an evening of craft beer + shopping on the long weekend! Can’t wait for the next one and hope you can make it when we plan it. Cheers!

Canada Day might be over but it’s still the year of celebration for Canada’s 150th birthday. I wish I could say I’ve seen more of it than I have- insert bucket list suggestions!- but I’ve only ventured as far East as Alberta and I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface of all the amazing places here in my home province. Here in BC we’re surrounded by plenty of natural beauty and in the Lower Mainland we’re spoiled with a wide variety of places to go, things to do, places to eat… you get the idea. Whether you like the beach, mountains, city, country- it’s all here.

Last month I shared 5 ideas for every occasion in Metro Vancouver on the Impressed App blog (see the full post here), and I’m sharing a few of the highlights here today along with a giveaway to help you save some of your favourite memories from the Summer. You know all those photos you have saved on your phone or on Instagram and never print? Now’s your chance to take them from the screen to your gallery wall: Impressed App will be giving one lucky reader a credit for 24- 30 prints so they can take their favourite photos from their phone and enjoy them in person- simply upload to the app and order! See below for some of my favourite local spots and enter to win from Impressed App!

5 Adventures to Take in Metro Vancouver– Highlights from this post published last month on the Impressed App blog. These are personal suggestions and I was in no way compensated financially or otherwise by any of the businesses included.

Date Night

You’ve got a night to yourselves but can’t think of where to go? Dinner at the Washington Avenue Grill-aka the WAG- in White Rock is our favourite place. We ate here the night we got engaged and it’s our favourite date night spot (the lobster ravioli is my favourite, but I’ve never had a meal there I didn’t enjoy). The food & service is amazing and there are ocean views from pretty much everywhere in the restaurant. They also make a wicked martini and have live music throughout the week, so no matter when in the week you visit you’ll have a good time. Make reservations just in case!

Girl’s Day/ Night

I don’t know about you, but nothing says time with the girls like a little shopping! My favourite haunt is The Handpicked Home and it’s the perfect stop for decor, apparel, gifts, kid’s items, etc. I met the owner, Piya, when the shop first opened and she’s one of my favourite people and I now count her as a dear friend. Treat yourself or someone else and pay this shop a visit next time you’re in the South Surrey/ White Rock area. If you like to support local this is a great shop minutes from the beach and Piya stocks it with a curated selection of items that highlight many talented locals. After you’d indulged in some retail therapy, stop in at Islands Cafe down the road for some Hawaiian coffee & treats. They ship in the coffee from Maui weekly and their Poke bowls are YUM (their Acai bowls are next on my foodie bucket list and look amazing as well).

DIY Eat & Drink Local Tour

Love to #DrinkLocal and enjoy fresh, seasonal eats? We’ve got plenty of choices in the area whether you’re a beer or wine lover (or both 😉 ), but we’ve also got a cidery in the area as well if you’re looking for some new to try! Fill up on some good food by starting in Fort Langley at Trading Post Taphouse & Eatery and take a scenic drive along the back roads towards Langley and the wineries along 16 Avenue. Enjoy a few glasses of wine along the way and end your day in Langley at Fraser Valley Cider Company. Throughout the Summer and September they’re hosting a variety of different events including a BBQ, long table dinner, and pizza nights. Their craft apple ciders are made from heritage apples grown on the property and in the Okanagan, with 5 flavours currently available. They’re a great gluten free drink option for those limited with beer options, and they’re refreshing served alone or with your favourite Summer meal.

Nature Walk

We’re spoiled in the Lower Mainland by all the natural beauty that surrounds us and there are plenty of places to go for scenic walks. Living in Delta our local favourite spot is Burns Bog, just minutes from our home and easily accessed from any direction (just park at the ice rink when you come off the highway/ Perimeter Road). You can walk or bike through and there are several options depending on how long you want to spend (don’t miss the sunken tractor!). Pack a picnic and enjoy enjoy unwinding in the fresh air and soak in some nature. The bog is the largest of it’s kind in North America and you can even book a tour if you want to learn as you go- great for the kids! If you want to make a day of it, bring a picnic lunch and enjoy eating in the fresh air. There’s a gem of a place in Delta called Altmaerker German Deli that offers up sandwiches and other deli fair that will leave you more than satisfied (seriously, they’re amazing and you’ll probably want to stock up again on the way home). Salted pretzels, fresh buns, and other German deli favourites are served alongside ham, pepperoni, and other staples that are perfect lunch fair. Stock up for a European- style picnic lunch and enjoy!

Impressed App allows users to take photos from their phone and turn them into prints, photo books, wall decals, and framed canvases. Simply download the app, select which photo product you wish to order, choose your photos, and order. Available for iPhone and Android. Click here to download.

In celebration of #Canada150, Impressed App has created a series of printable travel guides so visitors can live like a local. Each Canada Travel Spots guide contains a map and a list of suggestions based on the theme of the guide, such as Vancouver’s Craft Brewery Scene. To learn more click here.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Thanks to Impressed App, one lucky reader will be receiving a credit for 24- 30 prints to help them save some of their favourite Summer memories! Enter below for your chance to win & add to your gallery wall!

Day 2 of getting in the Canada Day spirit here on OHP! And this is something to get the whole family in the patriotic spirit and have some fun showing their national pride: starting today through Friday June 30th we’ll have this Canada- inspired photo backdrop set up at The Local Space in Langley. Come down and shoot a photo and enter to win some great prizes from The Local Space and Canadian Tire! Get all the details below and see how to enter + what’s up for grabs!

Details

Visit The Local Space in Langley between Tuesday July 27th and Friday June 30th to snap your photo (click here for directions). We’ve got everything you need to snap some fun photos including hockey sticks, props, and prints- choose your faves or include them all!

The first 10 people to stop by the shop and take a photo will receive some fun Canada swag + the very first person will win a giant swan pool floatie from Canadian Tire!

Share your photo on Instagram or Facebook and tag @ourhappyplaceblog and use the hashtag #RedandWhite to be entered to win a selection of goodies (worth $130+!!!) from The Local Space! ***Please make sure to tag Our Happy Place on Instagram and/ or Facebook to be entered- see below for bonus entry info)

The backdrop will be set up until Friday the 30th during regular shop hours (click here to view hours) , but you’ll have until midnight on June 30th to share your photo.

Once you’ve posted, copy + paste the link to your photo in the contest widget below to unlock bonus entries!

Special thank you to these partners for helping bring this #RedandWhite giveaway together: